Mussina eases worries with win

AP PhotoMariano Rivera tosses the ball over the Jason Giambi to retire Carlos Quentin in the 9th.

CHICAGO -- Maybe that's what Hank had in mind.
Mike Mussina last night righted himself as the Yankees won their third straight game by defeating the Chicago White Sox, 6-4, at U.S. Cellular Field.
It was Mussina's first start since Yankees co-chairperson Hank Steinbrenner said Mussina needed to adjust his pitching style to be more like Philadelphia lefty Jamie Moyer -- and intimated that Joba Chamberlain should replace Mussina in the rotation.
"We've got some young guys that can pitch," Mussina said. "When the old guy doesn't do very well, they immediately want to get the young guys in there and see what they can do."

The old guy isn't done yet.

Mussina (2-3) gave up just four hits and two runs in seven innings. Asked if Mussina's outing was Moyer-esque, manager Joe Girardi said it was "Moose-esque."

Posada and Mussina had been discussing how to pitch Joe Crede when Girardi arrived at the mound and asked Posada, "What's he got?"

Said Mussina, "(Posada) said, 'He's got nothing.' I heard him plain as day."

So Girardi began to motion for a reliever. And Posada yelled, "No, no, no, it's okay."

Said Mussina, "He knew what he wanted to say. It just didn't come out that way."

Girardi called it "an interesting conversation."

Mussina finished the inning. Overall, he walked one, struck out three and threw 101 pitches -- his first time in triple digits since June 24.

"He changed speeds real well," said Posada, who hit a career-high three doubles, giving him 310 for his career, one ahead of Earle Combs for 12th in Yankees history. "With him, location is important. I thought his location was great."

With his 252nd career win, Mussina broke a tie with Bob Gibson and moved alone into 42nd place all-time. Next up is Carl Hubbell, and 253.

"Bob Gibson's a pretty big name," Mussina said.

The win got dicey in the eighth, as Chicago scored a run off LaTroy Hawkins (11.17 ERA) and Billy Traber.

Mariano Rivera, entering with men on base for the first time this season, gave up a sacrifice fly to make it a two-run game. He then got four more outs for his sixth save.

At 12-10, the Yankees are two games over .500 for the second time this season.

Mussina, 39, has more career starts (507) than the four other pitchers in the Yankees rotation -- Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have a combined 505.

But in his previous two starts, both against the Boston Red Sox, Mussina had allowed nine runs in 8Ò innings, leading to questions about how long he might stick in the rotation.

"People have always doubted me," he said. "If you throw bad games, they doubt you. That's part of it. When you pass 35 years old, every time you step on the mound and give up two hits in an inning they doubt you. That's just how it is."